Gaza (Quds News Network)- As the world honors Women’s Day, Palestinian women in Gaza endure unimaginable suffering. Israel’s ongoing genocide and humanitarian crises have turned this day of celebration into a reminder of loss and pain for over one million women.
According to Salama Maarouf, head of the Government Media Office in Gaza, thousands of Palestinian women have been killed in Israel’s genocide. He called on the international community to acknowledge the atrocities committed against women by Israel.
The Israeli genocide in Gaza has taken a devastating toll on women. More than 12,316 have been killed, while 13,901 have lost their husbands. Around 17,000 mothers have lost their children, and 50,000 pregnant women have given birth in inhumane conditions. At least 162,000 women suffer from infectious diseases, and 2,000 have lost limbs, forcing them to live with permanent disabilities. Many women also were kidnapped and tortured by the Israeli military, enduring harsh conditions in Israeli detention centers.
Thousands of displaced women in Gaza live in makeshift tents and overcrowded schools. They lack basic necessities like food, water, and medical care as Israel continues to block the entry of humanitarian aid.
International human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have reported that 70% of those killed in Gaza were women and children. The Israeli genocide has also forced two million people, half of them women, to flee their homes.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Reem Alsalem, told Anadolu Agency that women in Gaza face “inhumane and degrading treatment.” She expressed her “deep concern” over their plight. Alsalem highlighted the hardships faced by women and girls, including Israeli violence, relentless attacks, and blockade. She noted that many field workers “struggle to find words to describe the suffering in Gaza,” calling it “a real hell.”
Alsalem stated that women in Gaza are losing their husbands and that “every hour, two mothers are killed, leaving countless children orphaned.” She condemned the deliberate starvation of people in Gaza and the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
Pregnant women are forced to end their pregnancies under bombardment and without access to healthcare. Many are giving birth without anesthesia or proper medical support in an environment where much of the medical sector has been destroyed. Alsalem also criticized the hateful rhetoric used by Israelis to “justify the killing of Palestinian women.”
She referred to a recent UN report that detailed the suffering of Palestinian civilians, particularly women and children. The report verified accounts of extrajudicial executions of Palestinian women and their children, arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and transfers to detention centers in the West Bank and Israel. Healthcare workers, human rights defenders, and children have also been detained in Israeli facilities. Alsalem revealed that at least one child was taken to Israel, calling it a war crime and an act of genocide under the Genocide Convention.
She stated that around 200 women and girls were among 3,000 Palestinians detained in Gaza between October 7 and December 31, 2024. In the West Bank, 147 women and 245 children were among 3,700 detained Palestinians. The report expressed deep concern over the inhumane treatment of Palestinian women and girls, who have faced beatings, bullying, medical neglect, lack of adequate food, and denial of legal representation.
Women in Gaza also face “threats of sexual violence and rape.” Alsalem cited “horrific” reports of Palestinian women being stripped and photographed in humiliating positions, particularly during interrogations. She stated that some women were forced to remove their hijabs during detention and were searched by male officers. Israeli soldiers reportedly shared and circulated these images online, violating the laws of war.
Earlier this month, the United Nations Population Fund expressed “horror” at reports of Palestinian women and girls in Gaza being beaten, detained, humiliated, raped, or executed by Israeli officers. The agency stressed that “women and girls are not targets.”
